Turkey bans Google's Blogger over soccer piracy

Emil

Posts: 152   +0
Staff

A local court has banned Google's Blogger service in Turkey in response to a complaint by satellite TV firm Digiturk that streaming media feeds from local soccer games were appearing on multiple Blogger profiles. Unsurprisingly, Google criticized the move, given that everyone is suffering over a few people's illegal actions.

"The process for making a copyright claim for content uploaded to Blogger is straightforward and efficient, and we encourage all content owners to use it rather than seek a broad ban on access to the service," a Google spokesperson told the BBC. "That way, people in Turkey can continue to enjoy Blogger whilst we respond to the specific complaint."

Copyright holders should target the individuals that are distributing the infringing content via an established complaints procedure rather than having the parent site banned. An estimated 600,000 Turks use the service to blog about anything from daily ramblings, to hobbies, to keeping their readers updated with the news.

Since the vast majority of these users are not breaking the law via copyright infringing or any other means, the complete ban of Google's service is unfair. It's not as if this content can only spread on Blogger: other websites are also providing access to pirated streams of the soccer matches as well.

Thankfully, there is hope. Turkey previously banned YouTube, which is also owned by Google, for two years because of derogatory clips mocking the country's first president, Mustafa Kemal Atatürk. This ban was removed in October 2010.

If Google can pull the offending blogs from its website, maybe Turkey will lift the ban. Turkish bloggers that use the site are likely keeping their fingers crossed that this time, the reversal will take less than two years.

Permalink to story.

 
I cannot imagine being without YouTube and Blogger for 2 years... it's simply too much for my psyche to handle. Poor turks.
 
Those serving on the turk's court are out of touch with reality; and it's not just turk courts, it's our own as well *geo*cough*cough*

It must be age or they're thinking that those people are all hosted and using the same "website" and the court thought they are banning just That "website". *sigh*
 
As is always the case punish the many for the actions of a few. Overkill really but it seems to be the default response to problems these days, for all those that live in turkey, sucks to be you :p
 
Big business wins again. Digiturk is a firm that gets rights to show soccer games from Ligtv. Private interest beats public interest any day. This is very different from the Youtube incident, because that was about historical public figures while this is about private business interests. The only similarity is Google.
 
geo has nothing to do with this story, but IMO nobody has the right to tamper with Sony property. You may have bought that machine but you agree not to modify it in anyway. this Indy Dev BS. that just an excuse for pirates to get away with pirating games and should not be allowed to continue. I fully support Sony in what they are doing, however this article is not about SONY so lets leave that here.

I think the entire legal system has to change. Different laws in different country should not apply on the internet. A worldwide slandered agreed by all country needs to be agreed in order to regulate the internet. I Agree the Internet needs some regulation however not be policed, A country should not be allowed to block internet access or censor websites. Yea you can get around these blocks but bah, that's hassle!

No user should be banned from the Internet like some governments are suggesting if you are convicted of Software/ Media piracy.
 
My long comment got removed?! now that is upsetting :( I spent a good 10 minutes writing that up! ;)
 
indeed two years no youtube and i thought turkey is a free country...
 
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